Vilar trained as an actor and stage manager, then toured with an acting company throughout France. In 1943 he began his career as a director with a season in a small Paris theatre. Invited to direct the first annual drama festival at Avignon in 1947, Vilar effectively employed bold movements and simplified settings on the large platform stage of the outdoor theatre. The success of the Avignon festival, followed by productions for more conventional Parisian stages, led to his appointment as director (1951–63) of the Théâtre National Populaire. During his tenure, he endeavoured to bring drama to residents of outlying areas and to those who could not afford tickets to commercial theatrical productions. He continued to stage the Avignon festivals and from 1963 independently produced plays and operas throughout Europe.